homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Battle of Britain + Battle of Britain II Here's what happened (Continued)

Folks,

At 10 AM our temp was 78°F. with 76% humidity under clear skies. After several overcast days, the light is blinding. We have no measurable wind and visibility is reported to be 10 m. The high for today is expected to be 90°F. By Friday we are encouraged by the guys with weather Ouija Boards to look for our first venture into the century F. figures with high humidity. Soon I will think I am 'deep in the heart of Texas.'

Fittop:

We must go in for an eye test to get our license renewed. If we have not had an accident that is all unless we allow our license to expire, then we must do the lot including the road test.

Ordinance smordinance, I may have the right but if someone in a car wants it, they can have it providing they give it back after they pass. Same thing with the right of way. At a four-way intersection with no traffic light, I may have the right of way according to the law. Yet if some lady of the blue-haired variety in a big Chrysler putting on makeup looking in her rear view mirror wants to take it I'll let her. It saves visits to court, hospital and repair shop.

When I was a kid practically conjoined with a bicycle, motorists looked out for us, not the other way round. Only once did I have a problem riding anywhere in town. I was coming down at high speed from a steep hill on Ridge street, through a green light intersection with Falls Road onward past my grandad's barber shop toward my Uncle Bob's BBQ restaurant on Melton Drive. I never got to my Uncle's restaurant. A fellow parked at the curb next to Capp's grocery opened his car door right in front of me..... WHAM! My bike bounced off his door one way and I another.

Not that the man seemed to care but somehow I didn't get a scratch on me. My bike was fine after I straightened the handlebars. My granddad came out of his shop and gave the man pure hell but in truth, it was as much my fault as his. After that,l I was wary of parked cars when I approached them. When I look back on a long and rather active life, to some degree it has been a charmed life. More than once, like the time I got my foot wedged between two rocks just below the cotton mill dam with the flood gates opening, I could have, should have perished but somehow did not. I guess we all have had close calls. Anyone surviving to an advanced age, I mean. Just taking into account the many scrapes I got myself into with one lady or another, let alone the REALLY dangerous stuff makes me feel quite lucky to still be here in good health with all my limbs and digits.

Now I never tempted Fait on purpose. I never rode over the dam in a canoe because of a dare as Philmore Creech did. They found him below the dam floundering about amongst what was left o9f the wooden canoe. I did climb a water tank carrying a cat with a parachute strapped to its back but the cat was in a hurry to jump and it did only half way up. The chute landed him safely using up just one of his lives. The several deep scratches on my stomach, shoulder, and back eventually healed and the scars reminded me never to try that stunt ever again without wearing chain mail. I never did get to the top of that tank, I'm sure the view was spectacular. I have already written about my encounter with the black bear up on Balsam Mountain. I was lucky not to be eaten alive. Not that the other members of my family locked safely in our car seemed at all concerned about.

There was the time I was floating in deep water beyond the surf at Atlantic Beach when the current and undertow caught me and began taking me away. That was just before I noticed the sudden leak in my air mattress. That was close. Maybe closer was my encounter with a shark at Myrtle Beach when a small boy. I was in about 3 feet of water near the shore when something unknown and rough as sandpaper bumped my leg and rubbed past me. I did not know what it was until a lifeguard told me I had a close call later but I got out of the water pronto, some witnesses said more on top of it than down in it. I have never been able to walk on water but on that singular occasion apparently, I could run on it.

Then there was the Portuguese Man O' War that tried to get me. Peeing on the sting is supposed to ease the pain...... it did not help me much because I assure you when it happened I peed all over myself and I only was stung once on the foot. No one told me they were still dangerous when dead. I had trod on part of one walking at the surf line. We all have stories of close calls and what ifs or lucky me stories. Even HM the Queen of England has had a few.